An investigation of the effects of instructional strategy (instructor-centered versus learner-centered) and communication mode (synchronous and asynchronous) on student learning and interaction in a web-based environment

As web-based teaching and learning has become more widely used in academia, more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of online courses. This study is an attempt to add to the literature on interaction in web environments as well as the literature exploring instructor-centered and learner-centered as an instructional strategy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of instructional strategy and communication mode on student learning and interaction in a web-based environment. The quasi-experimental design featured two treatment groups, instructor-centered and learner-centered to provide a comparative analysis of student learning and volume of interactions. The study included fifty-eight (58) participants in an undergraduate business program from a historically Black land-grant university located on the eastern shores of Maryland.; The Web-CT course management system was used to create online learning delivery contexts for two sections of the face-to-face Business Communications course offered during the spring, 2003. The study examined a unit from the face-to-face course in the adjunct mode. The delivery of unit content and activities were introduced and guided by the instructor in the instructor-centered group, while participants in the learner-centered group were allowed to work at their own pace and become self-directed. Both treatment groups studied the same content and were provided the opportunity for appropriate and equal interactions with content, the instructor, and other students on a voluntary basis. Additionally, both treatment groups were provided the opportunity to contribute to the unit of study through the use of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools.; Data sources included a letter portfolio and objective test to analyze student learning and frequency calculations to determine the volume of interaction in the synchronous and asynchronous modes of communication. The analysis revealed: (1) no significant difference across treatment groups for student learning; (2) the volume of interactions within treatment groups was statistically significant with strong evidence to suggest that there is more activity with the asynchronous mode compared to the synchronous mode in both groups; and (3) the volume of interactions between treatments groups was not statistically significant.